Jewelry clasp anchoring device

ABSTRACT

An anchoring device includes a base attachable to skin or clothing of a user and a loop to which a clasp or other element of a necklace or other loosely encircling item can be fixed, thereby preventing rotation of the encircling item about the user&#39;s neck, ankle, wrist, waist, or other body portion. The base can be moisture resistant, and can include hook attachment to clothing or adhesive attachment to clothing or skin. The base can blend in appearance with skin or clothes. The loop can blend in appearance with the clasp. Or the base and/or loop can be translucent or transparent. The device can include a plurality of loops. A removable, adhesive-protecting backing can be included, and a plurality of anchors can be provided on a common backing sheet. The loop can be flexible, foldable, and/or can include a clasping mechanism. The base and/or adhesive can be hypo-allergenic.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/159,953, filed Mar. 13, 2009, incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to jewelry, and more particularly to accessoriesthat assist in the wearing of necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and otheritems of jewelry that loosely encircle a wearer's neck, waist, wrist,ankle, or other body portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Women and men, boys, and girls the world over wear jewelry such asnecklaces and chains of differing types, including bracelets andanklets, which loosely encircle the neck, wrist, ankle, waste, or someother portion of the body. For the sake of clarity, frequent referenceis made herein to the example of a “necklace,” but it should beunderstood that this term extends to and includes all types of jewelryand similar items that loosely encircle a wearer's neck, wrist, ankle,waist, or other body portion.

The encircling cord or chain of a necklace, bracelet, anklet, or similaritem is frequently extended around a wearer's neck, ankle, or other bodypart as two separate strands that are joined by a knot, clasp, or otherjoining mechanism (herein generically referred to as a “clasp”) once theneck or other body part has been encircled. Typically, it is notconsidered desirable for the clasp to be visible when the jewelry isworn, and so the clasp is typically positioned at the back of the neckor ankle, the bottom or inside of the wrist, or at some other locationthat is minimally visible and separated from the more attractiveportions of the jewelry.

However, as a result of normal body movement, a jewelry clasp can tendto migrate to more visible areas, such as to the front of the neck ortop of the wrist, thus exposing the clasp to view or otherwisepresenting the necklace or other jewelry in a manner not intended. Ifthe necklace has an integral function other than being merelydecorative, such as displaying an identity tag for example, the functionmay also be impaired by rotational displacement of the clasp, which mayobscure the visibility or impede the use of the identity tag or otheritem.

Displacement and exposure of a clasp is highly undesirable to manywearers, and can cause them to continuously return the clasp to the backof the neck or other region of the body where it is again out of sight.This may happen many times over the course of a day. In the case of ananklet, the clasp may tend to move to the front of the leg, requiringthe wearer to move it to the back of the leg. In the case of a bracelet,if the clasp moves to the top of the arm, the wearer must physicallymove it to the bottom of the arm where it will be less visible. In somecases the wearer's clothing may aggravate the situation by restrictingor making more difficult the necessary arm movements for restoring theclasp to its correct location.

In many cases jewelry, such as a necklace or anklet, may not be readilyvisible to the wearer, so that migration of the clasp may not beimmediately apparent. For example, the clasp of a necklace may migrateto the front of the wearer's neck or chest, where it is readily visibleto individuals near the wearer, but may not be readily visible to thewearer. This can require the wearer to frequently feel for the claspand/or to look in a mirror so as to determine if the clasp requiresrepositioning to the back of the wearer's neck.

What is needed therefore is a simple, inexpensive, effective apparatusthat will maintain a jewelry clasp at a desired location relative to awearer's body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A device is claimed that can be attached to a low-visibility region of awearer's body or clothing so as to retain in position a clasp, knot, orother selected part of a cord, strap, chain, or other encircling elementof a necklace, bracelet, anklet, or similar item. The claimed deviceincludes a base that can be adhered or otherwise affixed to a wearer'sskin or clothing, and an anchoring loop fixed the base to which theclasp, knot, or other selected portion can be attached while the item isbeing worn, thereby inhibiting undesired migration of the clasp, knot,or other selected part (herein referred to generically as the “clasp”)about the neck or other body part of the wearer.

It should be understood that while frequent reference is made herein tothe example of a necklace having a chain fastened about a wearer's neckby a clasp, all such references are generic and/or exemplary in nature,and that the invention is intended to apply equally to other looselyencircling items worn about other portions of the body which experiencea similar migration problem.

One general aspect of the present invention is an anchoring device forinhibiting an encircling item from rotating about a portion of a user'sbody. The anchoring device includes a base, a lower side of which isconfigured for attachment to a desired location on the user, and ananchor loop fixed to an upper side of the base, the anchor loop beingconfigured for attachment thereto of an attaching element of theencircling item in a manner that prevents rotation of the encirclingitem about the portion of the user's body.

In some embodiments, the portion of the user's body is at least one of agroup of body portions consisting of a neck, waist, wrist and ankle. Invarious embodiments, the attaching element of the encircling item is ajoining mechanism configured for joining together ends of the encirclingitem after the ends have been extended around the portion of the user'sbody.

In certain embodiments the lower side of the base includes a hookfastening mechanism configured for attachment to clothing worn by theuser. And in other embodiments the base is configured for attachment toskin of the user. In various embodiments the lower side of the baseincludes adhesive configured for attachment to the desired location onthe user.

Certain embodiments include a protective backing that covers theadhesive and is removable therefrom in preparation for application ofthe base to the desired location on the user. And in various embodimentsthe base is configured to spontaneously release from the desiredlocation on the user without substantial injury to the user uponapplication of excessive force to the anchoring device.

In some embodiments, the anchor loop is configured so as to visuallyblend in appearance with the attaching element of the encircling item.And in certain embodiments the base is configured so as to visuallyblend in appearance with one of skin and clothing of the user. In otherembodiments, at least one of the base and the anchor loop is one oftransparent and translucent.

In various embodiments, the base is configured so as to resistdegradation when exposed to moisture. In certain embodiments the anchorloop is deformable. And in some embodiments the anchor loop can betransitioned between a deployed orientation in which the anchor loopprotrudes from the base and a folded orientation in which the anchorloop is substantially flush against the base.

In various embodiments a plurality of anchor loops is fixed to the base.And certain embodiments further include a backing sheet to which aplurality of anchoring devices is attached, the anchoring devices beingseparately removable from the backing sheet for attachment to thedesired location on the user. In some of these embodiments the backingsheet includes a perforation which can be separated so as to divide thebacking sheet into separated sections, each of the separated sectionshaving at least one anchoring device attached thereto.

In some embodiments the anchor loop includes a latching mechanism, thelatching mechanism being openable so as to allow penetration of theanchor loop by the attaching element of the encircling item, thelatching mechanism being closable so as to fix the attaching element ofthe encircling item to the anchor loop. And in various embodiments theanchoring device is designed to avoid irritation of the user's skin whenthe base is attached to the desired location on the user.

Another general aspect of the present invention is an anchoring devicefor inhibiting rotation of a necklace about a user's neck. The anchoringdevice includes a base, a lower surface of which is configured foradhesive attachment to the nap of the user's neck, and an anchor loopfixed to an upper surface of the base, the anchor loop being configuredfor attachment thereto of a clasp of the necklace in a manner thatprevents rotation of the necklace about the user's neck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment that includes an adhesivebase attached to a metal anchor loop;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment that includes hookattachment on an underside of the base;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment that includes an adhesivebase attached to a transparent anchor loop;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, illustratingremoval of a peel-able paper backing from the underside of the base;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a perforated backing sheet to which aplurality of disposable bases is adhered;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an embodiment having a foldable anchorloop, showing the anchor loop unfolded;

FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 6A, showing theanchor loop folded;

FIG. 7 is a top view of an embodiment wherein the anchor loop is formedfrom a length of loop material, the ends of which are adhered to thebase;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment wherein the anchor loop ismade of hollow metal tubing and includes a latching mechanism;

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 attached tothe nape of a user's neck and having the clasp of a necklace attachedthereto due to incorporation of the anchor loop within the clasp;

FIG. 9B is a perspective view of a two-loop embodiment attached to thenape of a user's neck and having the clasp of a necklace attachedthereto due to entrapment of the clasp between the two anchor loops;

FIG. 10A is a dissembled perspective view of an embodiment wherein theanchor loop is attached to the base by entrapment of a disk fixed to theanchor loop between two layers of the base; and

FIG. 10B is an assembled view of the embodiment of FIG. 10A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIG. 1, the invention in its simplest form is aclasp-anchoring device 100 that includes two principle components, abase 102 and an anchor loop 104. The base 102 is configured forattachment to the skin or clothing of a user. In various embodiments,the base 102 is an adhesive base 102. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, thebase 102 is a small, circular, adhesive base, somewhat similar to aBand-Aid® brand adhesive bandage, commonly referred to as a “band-aid”,(Applicant disclaims any right to the registered trademark Band-Aid)that can be adhered to the skin or clothing of a user.

In some embodiments, the base 102 is made of a “band-aid” like cloth,plastic, or a surgical type of tape material which is strong, flexible,and impervious to water. It may be transparent or translucent, and maybe tinted with a skin-tone hue or another color. Other embodiments maybe of a solid color intended to match skin tone, or to match the colorand/or texture of underwear or outer apparel.

In various embodiments, the size of the base 102 and the adhesive orother attachment mechanism applied thereto are of sufficient contactarea and holding power to resist any lateral forces that may be appliedto the anchor loop 104 by a clasp attempting to migrate away from theanchor loop 104. And in some embodiments the device 100 is easilyremovable and can be simply peeled off and replaced whenever desired orwhenever the adhesive fatigues, being similar in properties to aband-aid.

The strength of the adhesive bond and of the loop 104 and its connectionto the base 102 is designed in various embodiments such that anunusually large force applied to or through the necklace or otherencircling item will either break or dislodge the loop or peel thedevice off the user's skin without serious injury to the user.

The base 102 can be of nearly any shape, such as round, square,butterfly-shaped, and such like. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the base102 is round, and the material of the base 102 is designed to becompatible with application of an adhesive layer to its lower surface.In similar embodiments, the material itself is adhesive in nature, andin some embodiments the material of the base 102 is moisture-proof orwaterproof, so as to enable wearing of the device 100 for an extendedperiod, such as several days or a week or more. In still otherembodiments, the material of the base 102 and/or the adhesive ishypo-allergenic, so as not to cause irritation to a user's skin.

With reference to FIG. 2, in yet other embodiments, in lieu of anadhesive, the base 102 includes a layer of hook material 200 attached tothe underside of the base 102 and configured for attachment to clothing.

The second component of the claimed device 100 is an anchor loop 104which is attached to the upper surface of the base 102. Both the base102 and the anchor loop 104 take on different sizes in differentembodiments. For example, in various embodiments the base 102 rangesfrom approximately ½ or smaller in diameter, up to 1″ or more indiameter, and varies in thickness from paper-thin to as much as ¼.

Anchor loops 104 in various embodiments of the invention are of variousdesigns and materials including, but not limited to, a continuous metalloop 104 such as of gold or sterling, commonly used for jewelrymanufacture, which is visible, which protrudes and which can be feltwhen touched, but which can match a chosen piece of jewelry andtherefore be somewhat invisible once the jewelry is attached. The anchorloop 104 in some embodiments possesses the increased strength of themetal.

The anchor loop 104 in other embodiments comprises a thin, flexible,strong loop 104 extending outward from about the center of the surfaceof a transparent base 102 of nylon or flexible plastic, the underside ofwhich is coated with the same adhesive as is used on common adhesivebandages or “band-aids.” These embodiments are secure enough to be usedover the course of several days to a week, yet easily removable whennecessary.

In certain embodiments the base 102 is transparent, so as to bevirtually invisible to the eye once applied, thereby drawing little orno attention to itself as a separate entity. And with reference to FIG.3, in some embodiments the anchor loop 104 is transparent or nearlytransparent. In some of these embodiments the anchor loop 104 is clearand nearly invisible, flexible and unobtrusive, and in certain of theseembodiments it is made of a material with characteristics similar tonylon thread or fishing line, being strong and resilient.

With reference to FIG. 4, in certain embodiments the adhesive undersideof the base 102 is protected until use by a removable paper backing 400,which can be removed so as to allow the base 102 to be attached to thedesired location such as the back of the neck, the bottom of the wrist,or the inside or back of the ankle, as appropriate to the jewelry inuse.

With reference to FIG. 5, multiple specimens 100 can be included on asingle sheet of backing material 500, which in some embodiments includesperforations 502 for easy separation, and can be sold, for example, inboxes of 25-100 sheets, with 5-10 peel-off devices 100 per sheet.

In various embodiments the anchor loop 104 is easily accessible forclasping of the jewelry thereto. And in certain embodiments the anchorloop 104 is flexible enough and the base 102 is thin enough so that oncethe jewelry is removed, the device 100 does not protrude noticeably fromthe area where it is attached. And in certain embodiments the anchorloop 104 can be transitioned between a deployed orientation, as shown inFIG. 6A, and a folded orientation, as shown in FIG. 6B.

The anchor loop 104 in various embodiments is of a size suitable toaccommodate an intended range of clasps. In various embodiments, theanchor loop 104 is attached to a central region of the base 102 so as tominimize any tendency of clasp movement to peel the base 102 away fromthe skin. With reference to FIG. 7, the anchor loop 104 in someembodiments is formed by attachment of two ends 700 of a length of loopmaterial to the base, or by attaching a section of a closed loop to thebase. In other embodiments, the anchor loop 104 is secured by a smallerloop or strap to the base. In still other embodiments the anchor loop104 and base 102 are molded as a unitary device 100. In variousembodiments, the loop is deformable, easing the attachment of the claspto it, and providing an elastic tension to resist lateral movement ofthe clasp.

The anchor loop 104 can be of different sizes to accommodate differentsized pieces of jewelry or even multiple pieces of jewelrysimultaneously. With reference to FIG. 8, the anchor loop 104 can bemade from hollow metal and can include a latching mechanism 800 whichcan be used for attachment to a loop of a chain or to some other elementthat is not easily attached to a solid loop. The latching mechanism 800can be of any conventional clasp or fastener design, including but notlimited to open hook, snap, helix, and double helix, into which the cordis rolled, spring loaded, twisted, or compression fit. The latchingmechanism 800 can employ adhesive contact, hook-and-loop material, orany combination of or variation of these mechanisms.

FIG. 9 a illustrates the embodiment 100 of FIG. 3 attached to the backof a user's neck 900 and having the clasp 902 of a necklace 904 affixedthereto.

In some embodiments a plurality of anchor loops is attached to the base102, such as the two anchor loops 104 a, 104 b illustrated in FIG. 9 b,whereby a string or chain 904 is threaded through the anchor loops 104a, 104 b and the clasp 902 is secured between them.

With reference to FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, in some embodiments the anchorloop 104 may be attached to the base 102 by means of a disk 1000attached to the anchor loop 104 and held between two layers 102 a, 102 bof the selected base material. The disk 1000 is placed flat upon a firstpiece 102 b of base material with the flexible anchor loop 104protruding upward. A second piece 102 a of the base material with a holein its center through which the flexible loop 104 portion of theloop/disk assembly 1000 can protrude, is applied as a top layer, thuscapturing the disk portion 1000 of the disk/loop assembly between thelayers 102 a, 102 b of material and securing it to the base 102. Thebase 102 is completed when the non-stick paper backing 300 is applied tothe underside of the base 102.

Other and numerous variations of design and construction of the device100 in various embodiments that provide the fundamental structure of aloop 104 accessible for securing a clasp or necklace, attached to a base102 that can be adhered to the skin, are included within the scope ofthe invention.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthis disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the invention belimited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto.

1. An anchoring device for inhibiting an encircling item from rotatingabout a portion of a user's body, the anchoring device comprising: abase, a lower side of which is configured for attachment to a desiredlocation on the user; and an anchor loop fixed to an upper side of thebase, the anchor loop being configured for attachment thereto of anattaching element of the encircling item in a manner that preventsrotation of the encircling item about the portion of the user's body. 2.The anchoring device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the user's bodyis at least one of a group of body portions consisting of a neck, waist,wrist and ankle.
 3. The anchoring device of claim 1, wherein theattaching element of the encircling item is a joining mechanismconfigured for joining together ends of the encircling item after theends have been extended around the portion of the user's body.
 4. Theanchoring device of claim 1, wherein the lower side of the base includesa hook fastening mechanism configured for attachment to clothing worn bythe user.
 5. The anchoring device of claim 1, wherein the base isconfigured for attachment to skin of the user.
 6. The anchoring deviceof claim 1, wherein the lower side of the base includes adhesiveconfigured for attachment to the desired location on the user.
 7. Theanchoring device of claim 6, further comprising a protective backingthat covers the adhesive and is removable therefrom in preparation forapplication of the base to the desired location on the user.
 8. Theanchoring device of claim 1, wherein the base is configured tospontaneously release from the desired location on the user withoutsubstantial injury to the user upon application of excessive force tothe anchoring device.
 9. The anchoring device of claim 1, wherein theanchor loop is configured so as to visually blend in appearance with theattaching element of the encircling item.
 10. The anchoring device ofclaim 1, wherein the base is configured so as to visually blend inappearance with one of skin and clothing of the user.
 11. The anchoringdevice of claim 1, wherein at least one of the base and the anchor loopis one of transparent and translucent.
 12. The anchoring device of claim1, wherein the base is configured so as to resist degradation whenexposed to moisture.
 13. The anchoring device of claim 1, wherein theanchor loop is deformable.
 14. The anchoring device of claim 1, whereinthe anchor loop can be transitioned between a deployed orientation inwhich the anchor loop protrudes from the base and a folded orientationin which the anchor loop is substantially flush against the base. 15.The anchoring device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of anchor loops isfixed to the base.
 16. The anchoring device of claim 1, furthercomprising a backing sheet to which a plurality of anchoring devices isattached, the anchoring devices being separately removable from thebacking sheet for attachment to the desired location on the user. 17.The anchoring device of claim 16, wherein the backing sheet includes aperforation which can be separated so as to divide the backing sheetinto separated sections, each of the separated sections having at leastone anchoring device attached thereto.
 18. The anchoring device of claim1, wherein the anchor loop includes a latching mechanism, the latchingmechanism being openable so as to allow penetration of the anchor loopby the attaching element of the encircling item, the latching mechanismbeing closable so as to fix the attaching element of the encircling itemto the anchor loop.
 19. The anchoring device of claim 1, wherein theanchoring device is designed to avoid irritation of the user's skin whenthe base is attached to the desired location on the user.
 20. Ananchoring device for inhibiting rotation of a necklace about a user'sneck, the anchoring device comprising: a base, a lower surface of whichis configured for adhesive attachment to the nap of the user's neck; andan anchor loop fixed to an upper surface of the base, the anchor loopbeing configured for attachment thereto of a clasp of the necklace in amanner that prevents rotation of the necklace about the user's neck.